


In and Out

by TheBeeThatHums



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Annoyed Steve Rogers, Attempt at Humor, Banter, Curious Tony Stark, Eva is Bae, F/M, Geniuses, Hiccups, I Honestly hate tagging guys, Reader has some powers, Reader-Insert, Some Fluff, Welcome to the insanity that is my mind when I should be doing other things, and so we finally meet, introductions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-20 05:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17616299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeeThatHums/pseuds/TheBeeThatHums
Summary: Usually, you're careful not to get involved with "teams" so you can work alone but a certain Avenger in red and gold has caught your attention. When curiosity crosses the line into borderline obsession, you take more risks than you should and land yourself right in the situation you swore you never wanted to be in. While you wonder if it was worth it, it becomes apparent you weren't the only one obsessed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess what y’all this is brand new and I have absolutely no idea where it came from or where it’s going. Let me know if you want a second part? Or more? I don’t even know.
> 
> Working on the Baker and some others and this thing just took over. My bad.

Usually, it was in and out. That was the key to your existence- you got the call first, went in and handled it, and then got out before someone else could arrive. That was your routine. At first, it was just for survival- You did want to be questioned or tied down to anyone. That was before. Before people started to realize a pattern and ask questions. Before he started to ask questions. Before you were intrigued. Then it became a game. Could you get in and out before he and others arrived? Should you leave behind some insignificant, infuriating clue? You enjoyed frustrating him… keeping him guessing and wondering.

Anthony Edward Stark. He wasn’t exactly a mysterious man. It had been easy to gather information on him and the more you gathered, the more curiosity filled you and clouded your good sense. First, it was just a lingering a little too long to see him arrive. Then it was a well-placed self-destroying microcamera. Then it was purposefully leaving behind clues and puzzles for him to discover. The risk was like a high you chased more and more recklessly each time. Leading to now.

You pressed your back firmly up against the half wall you had ducked behind, cursing yourself for everything that had lead up to this point. You’d been late to get in and therefore late to get out and, in your effort to make up for lost time, the Hydra agents you had been dealing with got in more than a few good blows. You hadn’t realized how bad it was until you heard their inevitable arrival and went to make your speedy escape. Your plan had been to jump up and use the extensive piping above you to quickly work your way out of the building via the upper window you had come in. Had been. You had poised to make the leap and, when you went to launch yourself from the ground, your knee gave way under you. You barely managed to catch the strangled cry of pain in your hand before you had to duck into hiding as they entered. Catching a glimpse of red and gold as you ducked, you knew it was him and one other. The blonde with the shield.

Tony surveyed the area with a small huff, “You didn’t have to come with me Capsicle. I could have handled it myself.”

“Yeah… Natasha said not to let you go on one of these calls alone after the last time. So…. not coming- not an option.”

The mask covering his face slid up, “ Last time. You all act like that was a bad thing. All I did was have nano-bots sweep the building.”

“And?”

“Ok. I’ll admit I got a little frustrated there at the end. Not proud of that. But it was a little hole. You all just overreacted.”

“Stark, you blew a ten-foot hole into the wall of a residential building and it collapsed. We were lucky there was no one inside.”

“Of course there was no one inside. I swept it. Nano-bots remember? And I had a much safer building put up in its place so win-win all around.”

You could hear Steve sigh, knowing that this wasn’t an argument he was going to win, and then change topics, “Why do these runs bother you so much? I know it’s not ideal that we don’t know who’s beating us to it but all in all pretty easy missions. Mostly clean up. Nice break from what we normally do.”

Tony opened his mouth to answer when a small sound echoed into the open space, holding his hand up for Steve to shut it.

Your eyes went wide. That sound had come from you. A small hiccup. You covered your mouth to try and muffle the inevitable ones that would follow it, eyes frantically scanning for a way out and fast. Impossible to hold it back, another hiccup escaped you and Steve tensed, “What was that?”

“Friday, do a thermal scan of the area.”

You internally cursed this situation and your body for betraying you, letting out an audible sigh of frustration and putting your hands up in surrender over the top of the wall just as the scan picked up your unique temperature signature, “I’m unarmed aside from a question for you, Stark.”

“Show yourself!” Steve called, tensing up.

You ignored him, hiccuping again, “Can a human survive without a diaphragm? Because at this point I’m considering this a total betrayal of trust.”

Tony held back a laugh, corner of his mouth quirking up a little, “Not really my area of expertise. Why don’t you come out and we can discuss it further?”

“I would…”

“I’m sensing a but here.”

You smirked, purposefully picking a different word, “However…”

That was when he knew it was you, the one that always got away, his heart rate picking up slightly, “Which is just a fancy synonym…”

“Stark,” Steve said warningly.

“However,” you continued, “I am fairly certain that I can’t stand without lowering my hands for support.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Steve pushed.

“If she had meant won’t, she would have said it, old man.”

Steve took a breath to set in on him and you hiccuped before chuckling, “Very astute, Mr. Stark.”

You let out a more rapid succession of hiccups in a row, beyond annoyed, and waved a hand, some water from a puddle near Tony floating past them to behind the half wall where you were. You blew on it, heating it to a boil and then back to normal so it was drinkable, and gulped it down in an attempt to get rid of the hiccup plague. It seemed to work as you managed a minute of silence.

Steve’s frustration was redirected to you, shield back up at the action you’d just performed, “Ma’am if you don’t show yourself, we’re going to have a problem.”

You let out a huff and took a chance, lowering your hands to heft yourself up on to your good leg with a hiss, “Holy hell that smarts.”

Straightening to at least attempt to look put together, you let your eyes land on them, examining them as they examined you for a moment before a rather forceful hiccup threw you off balance. You gripped the wall, cursing under your breath.

Tony chuckled, “You okay there, dollface?”

You shot him a glare, “Not funny.”

Steve tensed when you raised a hand to your ear and you rolled your eyes, “Relax. If I wanted to fight it would have happened already, Captain.”

You tapped your temple and a visor-like strip of blue holo-screen appeared in front of your eyes, “Eva be a dear and enact protocol silver… on speaker to ease the minds of our acquaintances.”

“Yes, Miss,” echoed a soft, proper sounding voice and a ripple of electricity shimmered over your midsection as you winced, literally shocking your diaphragm into obedience, before her voice rang out again, “That should temporarily cease contractions. Shall I perform an injury assessment scan?”

You nodded and Steve opened his mouth to speak but Tony shushed him with a motion of his hand, watching you carefully.

Eva was quick, already reporting your results, “Most injuries are minor with the exclusion of two fractured ribs, one broken, and a dislocated knee.”

You were about to respond, when you suddenly doubled over with a hiss, Eva piping up, “It seems your-”

You cut her off, with a wheeze, “Yeah. Clearly, the ribs healing, Eva. I could feel it. Don’t need an update.”

“It seems I should add fractured manners to my assessment,” she sassed back.

You tried to catch your breath, mumbling, “I already regret uploading that independent personality sequence.”

Tony raised a brow, “I hate to interrupt this little interaction… Intriguing really. But we don’t have all day.”

“You’re coming in with us, ma’am. You can come peacefully or by force,” Steve added, annoyed with this whole situation.

“As long as where ever it has alcohol and or painkillers and you can get me there before that last rib decides to heal, you won’t hear any protests from me.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged. Call it in, Capsicle. I’ll handle her.”

You smirked, “Will you now?”

He smirked back, about to answer when you inhaled a ragged gasp, hand coming to your side as a small sickening crunch sound reverberated through the space. Pain seared through you and you were briefly aware of Eva chirpily announcing that your broken rib was healing before everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote more while I was supposed to be doing something else... surprise surprise... I'm winging it here. there is no plan.

The soft beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing you registered when you came to, the second being the uncomfortable tug of an IV needle in your skin followed by the cool metal of what you could only assume was a handcuff on the wrist of the same arm. You cracked one eye open and found you were alone in something like a glass hospital room, relaxing back into the bed for the moment.

“Eva…” you mumbled, “Status update?”

Unlike before her voice spilled into your ear only for you to hear, “It would seem you are a tentative prisoner in some sort of compound, miss. Physically, I am detecting high amounts of morphine in your system and, since your collapse, all but your knee has healed, likely because it has yet to be set properly. Time unconscious- 13 hours, 42 minutes, and 17 seconds.”

You hiccuped softly and let out a resigned but frustrated sigh, “Is there vodka nearby?”

“The only accessible alcohol in the general vicinity is a glass of single malt scotch in the room just across from this one.”

“On the rocks?”

“Yes, miss.”

“Perfect”

You took a deeper breath followed by a hiccup and focused on the ice, willing it to shift in shape to form to the bottom of the glass, slowly shift into a bowl to gather the brown liquid, and then into a hollow sphere. The scotch filled bubble then made its way from the glass it was in through the open door to your room to settle in your waiting hand.

Tony had watched this whole act with amused curiosity since the glass you’d pilfered the scotch from had just so happened to be in his hand, silently following the bubble as it made its way to you. He leaned against the door frame as you turned the ice into a bowl again to take a gulp of its contents.

“You know if you wanted a drink you could have just asked, Sweetcheeks.”

You chuckled, opening your eyes to look at him, “I wasn’t aware that was an option given my lovely new bracelet.”

“Just a precaution. Can’t have you slipping away again when we haven’t even properly met.”

“Well if that isn’t the most alarming way to get a girl’s name and number I don’t know what is… I hope it’s not a tactic you employ often, Stark.”

“I usually don’t need to. Most women don’t run from me at every opportunity they get, so some changes to the usual routine had to be made. Just for you.”

“Golly gee, don’t I feel so special,” you huffed back sarcastically, closing your eyes again as another hiccup escaped you.

“You want some water for that continuing betrayal, Elsa?”

“Trust me that little ice queen’s got nothing on me,” you mumbled, shooting him an amused look, “As for the water… Unfortunately, it won’t help. They are a very inconvenient side effect of being overextended.”

You heard him pull up a chair and the faint creak of him sitting in it, “Given the mess you left for us to clean up and your injuries I don’t find it at all surprising but I’ll assume it’s not something that happens often or I’m sure we would have met before today.”

Hiccuping again as you shifted slightly to sit up, you gave a short nod, “It was a mistake. I was too far when the call came in… I should have passed it up this time.”

“But you didn’t”

“And look where it landed me.”

He chuckled softly, “Come on… not all that bad.”

You shifted your gaze to look at him fully, taking a long moment to look him over as he did the same. Seeing him from afar and in photos was nothing in comparison to seeing him up close. The light glow of the arc reactor through his black shirt drew your attention first before your eyes moved up. His signature facial hair was neatly trimmed, scruff around it barely a five o’clock shadow meaning he’d likely shaved earlier, and there was a light smudge of what looked to be motor oil on his temple. Your eyes locked with his for a moment, watching how the overhead light showed the true rich brown of them when it hit at the right angle, and then you realized he was looking back at you with an almost expectant curious gaze.

You deliberately looked away as a hiccup jolted your body again, “I work alone, Stark. I don’t like playing by anyone else’s rules.”

“I’m usually the first to agree with that and yet… here I am.”

“By choice.”

He just nodded, quiet for a moment as he watched you gather your thoughts, and then he leaned in, “Why?”

You quirked a brow at him, glancing back over, “Why what?”

“Why take the call if you knew it was too far?”

“You know why,” you chuckled softly, leaning back into the bed again and closing your eyes, “The opportunity to continue our game was too tempting.”

“Game? Really? And here I thought that was your way of flirting.”

You opened one eye with a smirk, “Don’t flatter yourself, Stark. I can assure you the interest was purely intellectual.”

He mocked offense, hand to his chest, “You just want me for my brain? I feel objectified.”

A laugh bubbled up from within you, a true laugh, and you shook your head with the same level of mock sympathy, “It’s a crap feeling isn’t it?”

He grinned, letting out a laugh himself, as you hiccuped through some giggles, catching your breath, “Any word on life without a diaphragm?”

“Sorry, Frostie, the consensus is you need it.”

“In that case, I suppose it’s back to the usual,” you hummed, “Eva, protocol silver.”

“What’s the magic word?” she chirped back, on speaker to comply with your prior request at making them feel comfortable.

Tony stifled a laugh as you rolled your eyes, “Oh for christ’s- Please.”

The slight shimmer of electricity worked over your abdomen in a wave causing you to wince but the hiccups stopped, “Temporary but effective.”

“I scanned you for electronics when we brought you in… nothing came up.”

You smirked, “Are you saying I managed to outwit you yet again?”

He looked almost elated, ready for the challenge, and opened his mouth to shoot back when Steve appeared in the doorway flanked by Natasha to interrupt, “Stark. I thought I told you to steer clear until we’d had a chance to speak with her.”

He glanced at them for a moment, annoyed, “I never agreed to that.”

You smiled lightly but it was forced, the atmosphere having changed as soon as they arrived to something more hostile, “I came willingly, Captain. As I said before, If I wanted to fight I would have done so before now.”

Natasha had shooed Tony out to beyond the glass of the room and you could see now that the area you were in seemed to be a med-bay with individual rooms and a lab and workshop across a hall. That must have been where Tony had come from you thought for a moment before looking back to Steve, “I know I’m not exactly in a position to be making requests but something needs to be done about my knee or it won’t heal.”

You kept eye contact with him as he considered you for a moment, eyes narrowing ever so slightly in hesitation, and then nodded, “Let me grab someone.”


	3. Chapter 3

Steve left you alone and you could hear him a few steps out of the door asking Friday to notify him if you tried to get out of bed. You couldn’t exactly blame him for his suspicions but at the moment you weren’t in any shape go anywhere anyway. You turned your attention to the workshop across the way, another small hiccup escaping you. You could see Tony with his back to you and Natasha with her arms crossed standing in front of him. She didn’t look happy but they were too far for you to hear their conversation so you closed your eyes and waited.

Across the hall, Natasha pursed her lips at Tony, “I told you: you’re too close to this, Stark. We don’t know who she is, where she’s from, or what she can do.”

“So we’re in the business of treating people like prisoners because of what we don’t know about them now? Did I miss a vote or a memo or something, Red? Who are we to judge?”

She sighed, “There is nothing wrong with approaching with caution until we do have some information. She is clearly working off the grid… it’s not easy to do and people don’t do that without a reason.”

“As far as we’re concerned, all she’s done is wipe out some Hydra cells. Not a bad thing in my book.”

Her tone was firm, “Again, you’re too close, Tony. She’s been messing with you for months now and it’s not a secret that you’ve been playing into it almost to the point of obsession. I’m not saying she’s bad news… I’m just asking you to stay out of it until we know more and you can address it with a clear head.”

You jumped as someone cleared their throat, having dozed off while you were waiting, and opened your eyes to find Steve had returned. A step behind him was a man in glasses with dark hair that was greying around the temples, eyeing you with guarded curiosity. Hiccuping again, you smiled lightly, “Dr. Banner. I presume I have you to thank for IV and lack of pain.”

He seemed a little startled you knew his name, looking between you and Steve, “How d-did you…”

“Good guess. Mr. America here doesn’t trust me with a regular doctor and the only one in the immediate team with enough knowledge to be of any help in this situation would be you.”

“It’s Captain,” Steve frowned, “We have questions.”

“I’m sure and I doubt there is any way to avoid being pulled into this whole mess, so I’ll make it easier for you,” you sighed, patience wearing thin as you stifled another round of small hiccups. You tapped your temple to bring up the holo-visor again causing Bruce to jump and Steve to tense, “Eva, be a dear and link up to their network for a file transfer.”

“Yes, Miss” She chirped, some information coming up on the visor for you to look over before you added, “Nicely. We’re trying to make friends here not piss people off.”

You shifted to sit up, uncomfortable with how this was shaping up, “Mr. Stark is, as we speak, going over my personal file. You’re welcome to do any background checks or digging that you want. Beyond that, I will gladly answer any further questions. I have nothing to hide.”

Letting that settle into the room, you reached up and pulled the holo-visor down dramatically as if it were sunglasses, the strip shifting into a larger more tablet-like rectangle, “Anything else, Star Spangled and Banner?”

Bruce ducked his head toward Steve a little, lowering his voice “Are we sure she’s not Tony’s long lost sister?”

Picking up on it all the same, you rolled your eyes, “Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t have a monopoly on sass. Look, I’m not trying to make waves here but I’ve cooperated fully and if it wasn’t clear, I could have left by now. I’m really only doing all this as a courtesy.”

“Excuse me, miss?” Steve huffed, narrowing his eyes again.

You sighed heavily, “Oh for… handcuffs weak. Me strong.”

He crossed his arms, “What happened to making friends and not pissing people off?”

Shrugging a little, you countered, “I find it’s better practice not to try and shake hands with the barrel of a loaded gun, Mr. Rogers, and frankly I’m becoming more and more uncomfortable with the level of hostility aimed in my direction. With the situation what it is, I think it best to be perfectly clear.”

Bruce shook his head, cutting off Steve from responding, “If you two are done trying to one-up each other… I’d like to see what I’m dealing with here.”

“I can help with that,” you hummed, squishing the tablet between your hands until they came together and then opening them like a book. A three-dimensional body scan appeared in your palms and you shifted it fully into your unrestricted hand for Bruce to look over when he stepped in closer.

“Fascinating. Is this in real time? Live?”

“Yes,” you nodded, “Eva, isolate the knee, please.”

The scan focused in on your knee for him and he pushed his glasses up as he leaned in to get a better look. You gave him a moment and shifted to stare at Steve in a very successful attempt at making him uncomfortable, winking at him as he scowled.

Your attention snapped back to Bruce when he cleared his throat, “Alright then, Miss….”

He trailed off expectantly and Eva’s screen disappeared as you offered your hand, “(F/n), (F/n)(L/n) at your service.”

He accepted it, giving a firm shake, “Bruce Banner. About your knee… I’m not really that kind of doctor…”

“Don’t think about it too much. Just need you to pop it back in. As long as it’s even close to in place, it will heal just fine on its own.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

You locked eyes with him for a moment, “That’s how it works for me. Kinda playing fast and loose with regular healing processes over here, Doc. Though… If it’s possible I’d really appreciate it if you could double the morphine.”

Steve was about to protest but Bruce had already put in the order with a few keystrokes, “Whenever you’re ready.”

Taking a deep breath as a wave of nausea hit you, you closed your eyes and nodded, “Rip the bandaid off, Doc. I’m ready.”

You felt his hands for only a moment before the pain hit you, tearing through you even with the medication in your system, and you couldn’t hold back a strangled cry as you gripped the bedding with white knuckles.

Bruce could only watch as you gritted your teeth and the skin of your knee rippled, the shift enough to send it right into healing. There was a soft finalizing pop as it finished, the joint back in its proper place, and you collapsed back into the bed shaking, “Fuck… I might actually prefer being passed out for that…”

“What the hell did you do to my Snowflake, Banner?”

Taking steady breathes slowly in and then out, you cracked an eye to see Tony and Natasha in the doorway, likely alarmed by the noise you’d made. You laughed breathlessly, “Yours? Getting a little familiar there aren’t we, Mr. Stark?”

“Well, I did technically buy you a drink.”

“Technically,” you hummed, relaxing more and more into morphine’s sweet embrace, “I doubt anyone’s ever gotten laid on a technicality, Mr. Iron.”

Tony went to respond only to have Natasha elbow him sharply in the side with a look that said we just discussed this. Bruce checked your vitals as you quickly dozed off, looking up at them over his glasses, “She’s going to need some time to rest… in the meantime, I think it would be a good idea if we went over the information she gave us.”


	4. Chapter 4

Your surroundings were different when you woke again- the bed under you wider and softer, the lights less harsh, and there was the distinct absence of metal around your wrist. Had it not been for the almost looming silence, you would have mistaken it for being home. You stretched and then rolled out of bed to your feet, hissing a little at the weight on your previously injured knee before shifting it more heavily to the other side. You had been changed, you noted groggily. Grey sweatpants. Black shirt. Good. You were pretty certain the clothes you came here in had been an utter mess after how that fight had shaped up. Beyond that, your mind only had one goal- coffee.

Someone had clearly had a similar thought because when you opened the door, the smell of recently brewed coffee hit your nose and you followed it, slight limp as you aimed to keep as much weight off of your knee as possible. You found the kitchen and beelined for the half-full pot on the counter, waving its contents into the air so that you could bring gulp sized blobs to your mouth like a caffeine-hungry Pacman with a satisfied hum.

Once they were gone, you noticed you weren’t alone, soft snores coming from a short-haired man at the counter, head on his arm and half-finished mug with Merida on it in his hand. You tilted your head with a soft smile before stealing his coffee with a wave- it would be stale when he woke anyways- and then quietly set up another pot on a timer for an hour later.

You grabbed a pen and paper from nearby and scribbled a note on it ‘Sorry for drinking your coffee. Fresh pot in the maker. Call if you guys need me… or just give it to Stark’ followed by your number and initials. You slipped it under the edge of his mug without disturbing him and stepped back into what seemed to be the main hall, making your way to the door, “Friday… could you please wake Barton when the coffee is ready?”

“Of course, Miss.”

“Am I allowed to leave?”

“Yes, Miss. Mr. Stark made it clear that you were not to be regarded as a prisoner. Shall I call you a car?”

“No thanks.”

You slipped out the nearest door and started walking away from the property, noting your surroundings. Very green. It was going to be a long walk. 

You tapped your temple lightly, ambling along as you tried to ease the soreness out of your knee, “Eva… can you pull up a direct route home?”

She charted a course for you on the visor, “Approximate distance- 91.5 miles. Time walking- 31 hours. Time running-19 hours.”

You let out a groan, “Of course. Can you call me a cab? Prepaid. Use the emergency fund. 5 miles from here.”

“Done.”

“Thank you… How’s Hanz?”

“Unfortunately, the home base node seems to have been unplugged again. I have not been able to check in for the last 3 hours and 27 minutes.”

“I thought we fixed that problem after last time…” you groaned, stretching a little, “How long was I out?”

“Time unconscious- 21 hours and 12 minutes. Time away from home- 41 hours and 16 minutes.”

“Well, no wonder… he gets dodgy when he isn’t fed on time. Alright. Let’s do this.”

A short run and a longer cab ride later, there was familiar cracked concrete beneath your feet. You took in the sights and sounds of the Brooklyn streets as you carved out a path home, taking the roundabout way you did when you didn’t want to be followed- always better safe than sorry.

You couldn’t have been more right as a certain red-haired spy had been following you at a distance since you left the compound. Despite their ultimate decision that you weren’t a threat after reviewing your files and running a background check, she had reservations and there had been one thing left so glaringly out of all the information they’d gathered- an address.

You ducked off the street into the doorway of your small studio apartment and froze. Your door was locked but the thumb pad scanner hidden in the frame was slightly off-color, making it look like the paint was faded there. Someone had broken in. An ice dagger manifested in your hand and, keeping the blade tucked discreetly to your forearm, you opened the door slowly and stepped in, calling out softly, “Hanzzz~ I missed you, buddy.”

There weren’t many areas to hide with your work tables taking up a majority of the small space in addition to a single bed shoved into a corner, the bathroom door open so you could easily see in. You took in the room quickly, nothing looked to be majorly disturbed, and you stepped further in to clear the area, “Hanzie, where are you~ Eva tells me you messed with my wires again, you silly thing.”

For a moment, you wondered if maybe they’d already come and gone, mentally making a note to sweep for bugs, and then there was an arm around your neck from behind. You cursed yourself for missing whoever it was and threw your elbow back into your attacker, causing you both to stumble toward your main workspace. You growled as their grip didn’t loosen and threw your weight forward and into the kitchen, away from anything important. Once the only risk was to pots, pans, and wooden cabinets, you stabbed your assailant’s thigh with all the strength you could muster and he grunted, knocking your knee out from under you, “Bitch!”

Feeling darkness coming up all too quickly, you scratched at his hands, strength quickly leaving you with the lack of blood to your brain and oxygen to your lungs. You were seeing spots when suddenly you could breathe again, falling to your hands and knees as you coughed and gasped for air. Catching your breath, you flopped to your back and Natasha stepped over to look down at you, gun still out, “It looked like you could use a hand… you good?”

You gave her a thumbs up and then were immediately winded by a weight hitting your stomach making you let out a small oof. You glared as your eyes met the brilliant blues of the tabby sitting there, oh so casually licking his paw like he hadn’t just stolen your precious air, and you let out a strangled noise of frustration before letting your head fall back against the floor. You focused on steadying your breathing and heart rate, listening to Natasha call it in, and when the cat kneaded his way forward to bump his head at the underside of your chin, your hand came up to rub his ears.

Recovered enough, you sat up and hugged the cat to you as you got to your feet, aiming to find the nearest alcohol before surveying the damage. Just as you went to set him on the counter, he disappeared from your grasp and you rolled your eyes, croaking out, “Hanz, we have company. Try not to get shot.”

There was a meow from the other side of the small apartment in response and you just sighed, pulling a bottle of cheap vodka from an upper cabinet to pour yourself a glass. You turned and leaned back against the counter just as Natasha hung up, “Do you always drink paint thinner or are you just saving the good stuff for company?”

You cracked a smile, “Never have company. It gets the job done.”

“You are terrible at losing a tail.”

“Clearly,” you shrugged, toeing at the dead man on the floor, “ but I would say pretty fortunate for me this time… I have no idea how he found me though. I’m going to have to burn this location. Unfortunate. Rent was reasonable.”

A voice from the doorway answered, “Well, I think the rent on your new place can beat it, Frostbite.”

Your eyes snapped to it just as Tony stepped in, “My new place, Mr. Stark?”

His eyes scanned the room before landing on you, flicking to your neck with a hint of guarded concern, “Yeah. The Avengers Compound. If you’ll accept it.”

“Look at you… leaps and bounds into familiarity. Asking me to move in with you already, Playboy?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk, “Well I was thinking your own room but hey… I’m sure I could arrange something if you’d prefer to be close, Snowflake.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “If you two would stop… whatever it is this is… this is a serious security breach. (F/n), you clearly have security measures and you went through great lengths to hide this location… they shouldn’t have been able to find you. As much as I hate to agree with Stark- he’s right. You should move into the compound.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, “In what capacity? Prisoner? Teammate? Free agent?”

“Teammate,” Natasha responded, quickly adding, “Probationary.”

Considering that for a moment, you nodded, “Acceptable. I’m sure we can discuss details later, but for now, I want the dead man off my floor and Chinese from down the street.”

Hanz suddenly appeared on your shoulders at the mention of food and they both jumped, Natasha’s gun coming up as Tony cocked his head to the side with a slow blink.

You tugged him off into your arms again, “Oh and I hope no one is allergic to cats because where I go he goes.”

Natasha lowered her gun, “Where did he even come from?”

Waving her off, Tony leaned in, “Are those… robotic legs?” 

Cuddling him a little closer, you shrugged, “He’s special.”


End file.
